Researching William Otis
Investigate the background of William Otis using the links below. We hope you find this information useful!
The name William means "resolute guardian" and is of German origin.
Records of William Otis on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of William Otis in your family tree. A vast range of data is available to search ranging from census records, births, deaths and marriages, military records and immigration records to name but a few. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. If you are lucky then you may find some previously undiscovered Otis ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Otis Tree?
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for William Otis and the Otis Family Tree
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Otis Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources below you will be able to find a birth record and, from that, a birth certificate can be ordered which lists the names of the mother and father, taking you back another generation in your tree. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Otis family tree.
Look at Parish Records for William Otis at Find My Past.
Search for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of William Otis using the FreeBMD database.
Look at Genealogy Bank for William Otis records.
Search MyHeritage for William Otis information.
Check out the LDS Database for records about William Otis.
Research the Otis surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Otis Military records.
| Did you know that there are currently 6 people with the Otis surname in the UK? Otis is now ranked number 4035 for popularity in the UK. |
Otis Family History Databases
Another way to build your tree quickly is to use the research other people have already done. This can help to confirm or refute your own deductions - however, be wary of taking this data at face value as other researchers may not have been as meticulous as you. Always try to back up deductions with some definitive sources rather than relying too heavily on others.
Study the WikiTree database for user contributed records for William Otis.
Study MyTrees for information on the Otis family and people looking to contact living Otis relations.
Check out One Great Family for Otis records submitted by people who are already researching the Otis Family Tree.
Find William Otis from Ireland on findmypast.ie
Otis Forums
There are a number of forums which are dedicated to rearching particular surnames. These can be good places to share your findings and also to tap into the knowledge that others may already have. These can sometimes be a good way of finding living relations as these tend not to show up on the other sources of information for privacy reasons.
Research the Otis surname using Genealogy.com forums .
| Did you know that there are currently 12153 people with the Otis surname in the USA? Otis is ranked number 153 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Otis Databases
Look at the Ellis Island Database for information on William Otis. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called William Otis
William Otis
William Smith Otis (September 20, 1813 – November 13, 1839) was an American inventor of the steam shovel. Otis received a patent for his creation on February 24, 1839.
In 1839 William Smith Otis, civil engineer of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was issued a US patent for the steam shovel (No. 1,089) for excavating and (removing earth). Officially the patent drawing is missing but a drawing exists which is said to be the one from the patent and this shows the crane mounted on a railroad car. A load of earth could be lifted by the bucket, raised by the crane and turned to be dumped, such as in railcars. The patent described how a steam engine of a type then in ordinary use, was installed with a power control mechanism for the crane, and a system of pulleys to move its arms and bucket. It could move about 380 cubic meters of earth a day, with its 1.1 cubic meter capacity shovel and 180° slewing wooden jib. It was first used on the Western Railroad in Massachusetts.
Otis was born on September 20, 1813, in Pelham, Massachusetts. He was a cousin of Elisha Otis of elevator fame. At an early age, William was interested in earthworks and mechanics. At the age of 22, he had shown an uncommon mechanical ingenuity and created the first steam powered mechanical excavator.
Using materials obtained in vicinity of Canton, Massachusetts, William created the machine in 1835 which was used building railroad lines between Norwich and Worcester. Working with the company, ”Carmichael and Fairbanks”, William Smith Otis devised an apparatus carrying out the same actions as the person with a shovel.
Otis moved to Philadelphia and enlisted the talents of engineer and inventor Joseph Harrison Jr. to help construct a prototype. Harrison operated the company ”Garrett and Eastwick," and fabricated a pre-production model in 1836. On June 15, 1836, William Smith Otis received the patent for the invention; however during a fire, the engineering specifications had been destroyed.
On February 24, 1839, the patent behind number 1089 officially entered validity, and called “Crane-Excavator for Excavating and Removing Earth”.
Otis died of typhoid fever on November 13, 1839 at the age of 26.
Source: William Otis, Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaOther names that sound a bit like Otis
Family names can get corrupted over time, particularly where literacy was not as good. The following list contains some names that have similar sounds so you may want to also look at one or two of the more likely possibilites.
OTeague Oades Oads Oates Oats Oattes Odahowski Odes Odess Othick Otos Otoski Otsoa Otts Otxoa Outhouse
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